Let's get cloud?!

Cloud growth

“The future is in the clouds,” the daily newspaper oracles The world in March 2010 and identified cloud computing as the next important growth area in the IT industry. Looking back, this forecast does not seem particularly daring; after all, the term “cloud” has been circulating since the 1990s in connection with conceptual considerations for outsourcing IT services. In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) — today's market leader — was founded as a subsidiary of the online retailer Amazon. The company generated annual sales of more than 25 billion US dollars in 2018. But the competition is not sleeping either. Microsoft, Google and IBM also posted significant growth thanks to the buzzing cloud business. In Germany, on the other hand, the software giant SAP has realigned itself with a view to the promising market.

According to recent analyses, companies will invest an average of 28 percent of their IT budget in cloud services in 2022. If the forecast of world It was not already a reality in 2010, so it is now at the latest. In the IT sector, all signs point to cloud. Of course, cloud growth would not be possible if users did not need it. Private individuals who want to expand their data storage or use web-based applications benefit from switching to the cloud, as do companies that want to reduce costs and gain flexibility. But how can the cloud be gripped and which specific services can be accessed via it?

Everything as a Service?

The cloud is abstract and therefore difficult to grasp. Although almost everyone has a rough idea of it, very few can provide a concrete explanation. Although the cloud is almost omnipresent today, there is actually no binding definition to date. Experts usually rely on a Definition , which was presented in 2011 by the US standardization authority NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). Cloud computing is therefore a model that allows access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. computing power, storage systems, networks, servers, applications and services) via a network anytime and anywhere, which can be made available quickly, with minimal management effort and little interaction with the service provider. In less complicated terms, IT infrastructures are provided from a computer network — the cloud — without having to be installed on the respective user's local device. Cloud services are offered and used via technical interfaces, protocols and often via the Internet in a web browser.

In general, cloud computing distinguishes between three different service models, which can also be described as layers that build on each other. The foundation is the level Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). As part of this model, basic IT resources such as computing power, memory or data storage are provided via the network. The layer above is called Platform as a Service (PaaS) In this model, the service provider provides users with a software environment that allows them to develop and launch their own applications. Software as a Service (SaaS), in turn, provides access to application programs as a third, top-level level. Here, the software can be used online as a type of service, with the service provider taking care of its configuration, maintenance and updating.

Private, public, community, or hybrid? The main thing is cloud!

Depending on their individual requirements, users can use each of these levels or each model individually. The resources required in each case can in turn be accessed in various ways. The NIST definition names four delivery models of cloud offerings. In a Private cloud is the cloud environment only provided for one company. Hosting, as well as administration, can be carried out either by the company itself or by a service provider. About the Public cloud can certain services from a provider be used by the general public or by a large group of users. In a Community Cloud A smaller group of users, usually several companies or institutions with the same interest, share a cloud environment. The operation of Community Cloud is taken over by one of the institutions involved or a service provider. From one hybrid cloud Is it when several, each independent cloud infrastructures (Private or Public) can be shared via interfaces. In addition, there are other cloud offerings, some of which are mixtures of the variants described and which in turn trade under their own name. For example, the so-called Multi Cloud, in which cloud services and platforms from different providers are combined into a single large cloud — from the user's point of view.

Everything from the cloud — and then?

The cloud therefore not only provides storage space, but also hardware and software. Access to storage, systems or virtual machines from the network makes the locally operated IT infrastructure obsolete, at least in part. The benefits for cloud users, especially companies or public authorities, are obvious: By using cloud services, investments in infrastructure, hardware and software can be significantly reduced. On the one hand, there are no high procurement costs, and on the other hand, there are no running costs for operation, maintenance and updates. All of this is done by the respective service provider.

In addition, the cloud offers a high degree of flexibility, as it can be easily and at any time scaled. Users can adjust the range of booked services to their current needs and therefore only have to pay for the services they actually use (pay per use). If necessary, storage space or computing power can be expanded at will — over the long term or for a limited period of time. So when business is buzzing and additional IT capacities are required, these can be booked in no time at all. High bad investments in incorrect or later barely utilized hardware are avoided.

Cloud computing also gives companies flexibility and agility when it comes to using and sharing data. With services from the cloud, all users are always on the same page regardless of where they are. To access cloud services, all you need is a supported device including an Internet connection. This gives employees the opportunity to handle disruptions in public transport, traffic jams or cancelled childcare without sacrificing productivity. Thanks to the more flexible organization of everyday working life, not only does efficiency increase, but also employee satisfaction.

In the meantime, even complex IT infrastructures such as contact centers, which previously had to be set up locally, are provided from the cloud. Here, too, companies benefit from a massive reduction in their spending and the gain in flexibility through simple scalability.

Don't be afraid of the cloud!

While the cloud is becoming increasingly important, many German companies, which are traditionally sensitive when it comes to data protection, continue to be skeptical about outsourcing their data. In fact, companies that entrust sensitive data to a cloud provider become somewhat dependent. As a first step, the framework conditions should therefore be carefully reviewed. It should be noted, for example, that data stores located outside the EU are not bound by European data protection guidelines. The Federal Office for Security and Information Technology (BSI) provides guidance. The authority has a Cloud Computing Compliance Controls Catalogue (C5) published, which sets certain minimum requirements that cloud providers should meet in order, among other things, to meet strict legal requirements on data protection.

Regardless, encrypting data can prove to be effective protection. In addition, fundamental reservations can be dispelled by the fact that using the cloud also offers advantages in terms of security. In contrast to on-premises solutions, users can rely on the provider to keep infrastructure and applications from the cloud up to date, meaning that security standards remain up to date. In addition, providers have a high level of specialist expertise, which is difficult to achieve by individual, even highly qualified administrators. And last but not least, the cloud offers better protection against data loss due to defective hard drives or other technical failures.

If cloud solutions are implemented taking into account applicable security standards — and possibly with the help of an experienced partner — they offer companies or authorities numerous attractive benefits. Current trends, such as application development via microservices and containers or the further reduction of infrastructure through serverless computing, leave no room for doubt anyway: The future belongs to modern cloud technology.